I didn't know that!
Scott of the Antarctic' was a naval officer and explorer, who died attempting to be the first to reach the South Pole.
Robert Falcon Scott was born on 6 June 1868 in Devonport. He became a naval cadet at the age of 13 and served on a number of Royal Navy ships in the 1880s and 1890s. He attracted the notice of the Royal Geographical Society, which appointed him to command the National Antarctic Expedition of 1901-1904. The expedition - which included Ernest Shackleton - reached further south than anyone before them and Scott returned to Britain a national hero. He had caught the exploring bug and began to plan an expedition to be the first to reach the South Pole. He spent years raising funds for the trip. The whaling ship Terra Nova left Cardiff, Wales in June 1910 and the expedition set off from base the following October, with mechanical sledges, ponies and dogs. However, the sledges and ponies could not cope with the conditions and the expedition carried on without them, through appalling weather and increasingly tough terrain. In mid December, the dog teams turned back, leaving the rest to face the ascent of the Beardmore Glacier and the polar plateau. By January 1912, only five remained: Scott, Wilson, Oates, Bowers and Evans.
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On 17 January, they reached the pole, only to find that a Norwegian party led by Roald Amundsen, had beaten them there. They started the 1,500 km journey back. Evans died in mid-February. By March, Oates was suffering from severe frostbite and, knowing he was holding back his companions, walked out into the freezing conditions never to be seen again. The remaining three men died of starvation and exposure in their tent on 29 March 1912. They were in fact only 20 km from a pre-arranged supply depot.
Eight months later, a search party found the tent, the bodies and Scott's diary. The bodies were buried under the tent, with a cairn of ice and snow to mark the spot.
This short biography is the property of the BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/scott_of_antarctic.shtml
Eight months later, a search party found the tent, the bodies and Scott's diary. The bodies were buried under the tent, with a cairn of ice and snow to mark the spot.
This short biography is the property of the BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/scott_of_antarctic.shtml
The strong link with schools
Scott’s 1911 expedition enjoyed much involvement with and support from Schools and other organisations all over the UK, with many making generous financial and in kind contributions. For example Bromsgrove School has one of the original sledges on display. Others provided sleeping bags and clothing, ponies and even a mechanical motor sledge. How big was Scott's profile - how important was he to the Nation ?
The national memorial service given for Scott and his colleagues at St Paul's Cathedral in London has been likened to that for Princess Diana. The King attended and 10,000 people filled the streets outside. It has been said that Captain Scott had the profile and fame of a David Beckham, Bear Grylls and Prince Harry combined. The effect on the newspapers and on the public on hearing of his tragic death, whilst doing the business of the nation, was enormous.  |  Leconfield House - a boarding house at Cheltenham College - received a personal thank you letter from Scott for providing one of the sledges. You can see it by clicking on the image to the right.
‘Copyright Cheltenham College Archives’ |
